USSS Special Agent Zane Thacker has landed his dream assignment protecting the president of the United States. When the president plans a fundraiser at the exclusive estate of a political supporter in Raleigh, Zane is thrilled to be working again with Special Agent Tessa Reed, his best friend--and the woman he desperately wishes could be more.
Though Tessa almost lost everything, she battled her demons and came out on the other side healthy and healed. But when her role as the liaison between the Raleigh office and the president's protective detail wrenches her past back into the present, her greatest failure threatens to come to light.
Zane refuses to let Tessa go through this alone. But can he stand by the woman he loves and protect the president from a mounting threat at the same time?
Sparks fly as award-winning romantic suspense writer Lynn H. Blackburn closes out her Defend and Protect series with this explosive tale of secrets kept, lies exposed, and relationships restored.
Series: Defend and Protect, book #3 (would recommend reading the other books first)
My rating:
*sigh* Honestly...this book was a disappointment. Don't get me wrong, I was definitely hooked through most of it, but yet at the same time, it...fell flat.
Book one released in 2021 (I absolutely loved it - review here), book two in 2022 (kinda meh - review here), aaaand since then, I kinda totally forgot which character is which. I didn't think it would be a problem, since books tend to stick in my mind and I've never had an issue with mixing them up, buuuut as I started reading Under Fire and got everything mixed up, I came to the unfortunate conclusion that none of the characters were actually unique enough to keep them separate in my mind.
I loved Zane. I loved his protective nature and the way he was determined to keep Tessa safe and accountable even while he tried to let her have her independence. His faith was a big part of him, and I LOVED the camaraderie between him and Luke. (Although the repeated use of the word 'bro' kept throwing me off...maybe I just live in a backwards community, but I've never heard the guys in my life actually use the word repeatedly? I think it was mainly the term 'bro hug' but it just...*shudders* made me uncomfy for some odd reason)
Tessa was honestly such a lovable character. Her desire and determination to honor God and overcome her past was inspiring, and her struggle to be independent yet reasonable was relatable, haha.
The plot was super engaging, and while I thought I had the bad guy pegged from the beginning (I generally have a knack for that - I listen to a lot of Dragnet *cackles*), I...was completely wrong. Not that I wanted to be right about it in this case, but the real culprit seemed kinda out of the blue? I'm not gonna complain about it too much though, since there were twists and turns I didn't see coming and that just improves the book immensely, in my opinion.
I did, however, get about 95.7% fed up with Tessa/Zane drama. Gave me a headache.
The whole reporter guy thing (Lloyd? Leonard? I know neither of those are his name but I can't remember his actual name *cough*) creeped me out and I think it was totally unnecessary buuuuut just my opinion.
In conclusion, the quality of this review kinda sums up the whole book: some parts were good, some parts weren't so good, overall it was just meh, in my opinion
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for promotional purposes. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
